Hittech Group

This is a lens adjustment mechanism that uses piezo actuators. This technology allows for minute and exact lens adjustments over several degrees of freedom, enabling precise control over the lens's position, orientation, and focal length. Hittech Bihca is responsible for assembling this high-tech subsystem, and its Managing Director, Koen Mentink, explains what makes this product special. “Next to making complex large carriers with high precision, we also make small assemblies. An example of such a small assembly is the lens adjustment in the photo that uses piezo actuators. The lens adjustment is needed to focus a measuring beam inside a semiconductor machine, which can tilt three different axes. Piezo actuators obviously can adjust with very small increments, and therefore, the assembly needs to be very accurate as well. Some assembly steps contain a process called laser welding, which must be done meticulously. The assembly also consists of several different material types, which adds to the complexity. It is a perfect example of how we can work together with our customer by giving design input to make it possible to machine and manufacture a complex assembly in an economically viable way.”

Hiring new colleagues from foreign cultures requires more than a contract. Our company, Hittech Bihca, is less than 7 km from Germany, and they have more than enough experience looking over the borders.   The three guys in the photo are from three different countries (Portugal, Italy, and Romania) who wanted to build a new life in the Netherlands using their technical expertise. With the help of Jan-Willem Lueksen from JAWS | Technisch Intermediair, we found these highly skilled and motivated new colleagues and prepared them for work and life in The Netherlands.   Heleen Van der Sloot Floors, HR professional at Hittech Bihca, explains this onboarding process. “Next to the administrative part of recruiting international staff, we deal with housing and language barriers. The team from JAWS is a great help with the housing part, and we help to take care of the language barrier. Understanding and speaking English is a must for joining our team. But there is more: we also care about community building outside the office. For example, one colleague from Romania has a wife and child, so we helped them find a proper daycare solution for the child so they could both work.”

Last week, we visited high-tech companies in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, with other entrepreneurs from the Dutch high-tech network Brainport Industries.  Over three productive days, we visited leading companies such as SCHUNK - Hand in hand for tomorrow, our company in Bad Wildbad Hittech Prontor GmbH, TRUMPF, Festo, Fraunhofer IPA, Contexo GmbH and EPflex Feinwerktechnik GmbH. Our CCO, Ralph Stassen, explains the importance of this region for the Hittech Group. “Initiatives such as this trade mission are not only good for making new connections but also for updating the current ones. Hittech invested in the region years ago by acquiring the former Prontor company in the Black Forest region, just south of Stuttgart. It gave us a solid regional foundation with over 100 years of knowledge and experience. ”   Baden-Württemberg is the third-largest state in Germany and connects Germany on the west with France. Some of the largest German companies are headquartered in Baden-Württemberg, including Mercedes-Benz Group, Schwarz Group, Porsche, Bosch and SAP. Special thanks to Brainport Industries and the BOM (Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij) for organising this trade mission.

Our company in Germany is currently implementing a new surface coating capability for our very specialised camera shutters, promising a significantly extended lifetime of up to two or even three times. Ralph Bauer, Manager of Development at Hittech Prontor GmbH, explains that the requirements for endurance and repeatability placed on shutters, especially for airborne photography, are constantly increasing. “The previous Teflon-based anti-friction coating has reached its limit regarding endurance and environmental aspects. We are currently working with different suppliers on an alternative solution. The solution we're exploring is a very thin and hard vapour deposition coating. Our tests have been more than satisfactory, and we anticipate finalising the implementation in the next few weeks. With the new coating, we will have a PFAS-free low-friction coating, which will reliably meet the demanding requirements of our customers.” Reach out to our Sales Consultant, Michael Stritt, if you would like to get additional information.

The two people at the table have two things in common: they are married to each other and will enjoy their pensions after working for several years at our company, Hittech Landes in Emmen (NL). On the left is Klaas Cazemier: he has worked for almost 15 years for Hittech, and on the right is his wife, Wilma. Klaas convinced Wilma to join the company almost 9 years ago. On their last day at work last week, they received a souvenir from their colleagues.   Sonja van der Voort, Managing Director of Hittech Landes: “It’s part of my job, but seeing people go is always hard. Klaas and Wilma deserve their pension, and in the past two months, two other colleagues have also reached their pension. One of them worked for us for 40 years. For me, this reflects a good working environment.”   How do you fill the gap? Sonja: “We recruited a few young people in the past year who follow a so-called BBL education (a combination of work and study). Furthermore, we continue to automate our processes by purchasing new machines connected to robots. But still, we need skilled people. Next to changes in the workforce, we will soon move to a new workplace. We need more space, and we even have machines in our warehouse waiting to be installed. But looking at the planning, I think we will be up and running on July 1.”   We all thank Klaas and Wilma for their dedication to the Hittech Group and wish them a fulfilling and joyous retirement.

Hittech Group is on a trade mission this week in Singapore and Malaysia. The Netherlands and Southeast Asia have a strong history of high-tech cooperation. Malaysia is a growing market with a strong foothold in the Semiconductor industry, which accounts for 7% of the global semiconductor trade.   Part of this mission is Hittech Group’s attendance at the Netherlands Pavilion (Booth 3317, hall 6) at the SEMICON Southeast Asia (SEA) show in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, initiated by BOM (Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij) in cooperation with the Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO), Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Malaysia and Brainport Industries. Our CCO, Ralph Stassen, explains the importance of sharing knowledge and global cooperation. “We apply a local-for-local strategy within the Hittech Group, securing an international level of quality and innovation with a drive to let local economics contribute to our success. Part of our mission of sharing knowledge will be a Q&A session at the request of the Malaysian deputy minister of trade. He is responsible for setting up the Semicon growth plan for Malaysia, and it is apparent that the Malaysian government sees a large role in cooperation with Dutch companies. This was even more emphasised by the visits to our booth by the Prime Minister of Malaysia and the Chief Minister of the state of Selangor. ”   10 Dutch semicon companies came together at the Netherlands Pavilion: AAE bv, Besi Netherlands B.V., CoreDux, Hittech Group, HQ Pack, inPhocal, KMWE, Neways Electronics International NV, NXP Semiconductors and Sempro Technologies BV.   #SemiconSEA24NL

This post explains why our colleague Robin van Eijk is taking photos of this high-tech machine. Robin is one of the 50 experts working in the Hittech Multin cleanroom. In this photo, he is checking a machine from a client in the semicon industry that has been sent back to us for inspection after years of operation.   Robin: “Outgoing inspection is an essential part of our mission to master improvement. We inspect and check every part and system very thoroughly before it leaves one of our companies. Sometimes, machines are returned for analysis or damage repair. My job is first to inspect the machine to determine the problem and if it is still in the shape we delivered it. Our clients want their machines back as if they were new, that is why I take photos to register scratches, the condition of screws and other parts. We offer a long warranty period, and it is up to my colleagues in the cleanroom and me to check if the product falls under warranty or if a damaged product has to be repaired. Mapping out the problem is an important step in solving it for the client and learning and improving our processes. In the end, the quality must remain perfect.”   Are you interested in working for our company in The Hague? Please check the current job openings on our jobs tab.

Mounting these microscope apertures in their filter housings requires precision only a steady hand can achieve. To understand the significance of these housings, we spoke with Karin Eevers from the Hittech Comac company in Deurne (NL).   Karin: “The purpose of filter housings is to vary the amount of light in a medical microscope. They can be manually operated or electronically adjusted, and the amount of light is achieved by using different lenses or an aperture. The apertures can have a round or square shape, and the size of the aperture can also vary. This makes assembling these high-tech parts challenging, but our specialists have many years of experience in this field.”    

Whenever HR Manager Jeevaratna Kalaivanan suggests playing games, the employees at Hittech Wemac, our company in Malaysia, rush to the activity room on the 3rd level, adjacent to the cafeteria. The activity room is designed to provide engaging, movement-based activities and mind-concentration games for the employees. These games are meant to stimulate the mind and body and help develop practical skills while serving as a form of exercise. The aim is to utilise the break time wisely and reduce stress levels after long hours of working on machines.   Paul Morach, Managing Director at Hittech Wemac, explains: “As humans, we are prone to making quick judgments about others, and often overlook their true potential. We have created an activity room where employees can showcase their problem-solving abilities and other skills. Participating in games and activities can help employees understand each other's viewpoints, communicate better, and get to know each other more personally.”   If you want to work at the Hittech Wemac company in Penang, Malaysia, please send a message to Jeevaratna Kalaivanan.

Many designers lack sufficient material knowledge to thoroughly assess the impact of their application in high-tech equipment, says Pieter Kappelhof, our Director of Technology. So, we set up a course with innovative high-tech partners taught at the TU Delft | Mechanical Engineering. Cor Heijwegen, the founder of Hittech, is one of the initiators of this ‘course that was still missing’ for the faculty of Mechanical Engineering at TU Delft. Pieter Kappelhof is one of the architects of the course and explains its importance.   “Material science in the education of engineers and designers is key to the application, development, and production of high-tech products and systems. Target markets influence the choice of materials like steel, aluminium or plastic through their specific applications, such as cryogenics for labs, cleanliness for semicon, ISO standards for medical and vacuum and dynamics for space. Their integral designs determine whether production will be optimal and whether products will be successful. This sound basis of material science in the education of engineers is of the utmost importance as they will be the future developers of these products and systems. We developed this base by taking the students through the system engineering process and focusing on material science and production technologies in the system development process. Then, we take the students through the parts production, treatment, joining, and assembly stages with 13 showcases presented by experts from the industry and explained in detail by qualified university teachers.”   In the photo: One of the cases presented in the course is the production of a cooler at Hittech. The initial design consisted of complex machined titanium parts joined by anodic bonding. This was transferred into a one-piece 3D metal-printed part, which led to a significant cost and lead time reduction.   More information: Students interested in the next course, Application of Materials in High Tech Engineering, can contact Pieter Kappelhof, Joris Dik, or Sven Erik Offerman. Students looking for a job at one of our companies can check out the jobs tab on the Hittech Group LinkedIn page.